The Stars that Glow Green
by Jusrecht
Summary: Gino loved Christmas – or at least he used to. Gino x Suzaku


**The Stars that Glow Green**  
**Author: Jusrecht**

**Characters/Pairing: **Gino x Suzaku, some KoR x Suzaku

**Warning:** This is like… a thousand words of idiocy and Gino grumbling about mistletoe. Expect fluff and sap too, as per usual with this pairing.

**Disclaimer:** Code Geass and its characters belong to Sunrise. The first paragraph in this fic was stolen from Dickens's _'A Tale of Two Cities'_ (which has the greatest prologue in novel ever) with slight modifications.

**Summary: **Gino loved Christmas – or at least he used to (Gino x Suzaku)

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It was the best of times, it was the worst of times. It was the season of celebration, it was the season of sorrow. It was the spring of hope, it was the winter of despair. It was everything he could wish for, it was everything he could be afraid of.

It was, in short, Christmas.

Gino loved Christmas – or at least he used to, before Suzaku waltzed into his life and made things a little bit more complicated than they had been a few minutes, hours, days, weeks, months prior. This was particularly true when Christmas came around the corner and they, along with the rest of the knights and many prominent members of aristocracy, went to the annual party held by the Crown Prince Odysseus himself in the Imperial Palace.

It would have been no different to other dreary parties their job sometimes required them to attend, if not for those damned mistletoes.

Gino restlessly shifted his feet, resisting an urge to pull his hair out when a ripple of laughter rose from the circle of nobles around him. The smile was beginning to feel painful on his face but he had to keep it there – as well as the span of his attention, which was dwindling rapidly despite the eminent status of his interlocutor. The Second Prince, either indifferent or ignorant of his agitation, continued to speak in his calm, measured voice, drawing more attention to their small exclusive circle, which in turn steadily diminished Gino's chance to escape. He was willing to do just about anything to be excused from the company right now, but he understood very well that when this particular prince deigned to speak with you, you did not ignore him, let alone brush him off even if your love interest was being molested by your colleagues not twenty feet away.

Nonnette, noticing the vicious glance he was throwing her way, returned it with a smirk as she walked away from a red-faced Suzaku. It was the third time she had managed to steal a kiss from him tonight – and they were only half-an-hour into the party. He shuddered to think what two whole hours might do, not only to his sanity, but also to Suzaku's reputation – and perhaps also his honour, but he would never say that part out loud. An angry Suzaku was fun to tease for only thirty minutes or so. The rest was just him hugging a cold blanket on the sofa for who knows how many nights until he managed to wheedle his way back into the bed.

It was obvious that Suzaku had tried to stay away from those blasted things, but they were just too many. Gino watched from the corner of his eyes, teeth grinding, as Monica pulled his lover to a dance, her subdued smile enchanting and suave. She was nothing like the flash of lighting that Nonnette was, but he knew, from personal experience, that her intentions were often the more dangerous. Unfortunately, trapped as he was, there was nothing he could do but watch.

At least, Gino admitted sulkily, there was one benefit he could reap from their outrageous behavior. Accidentally or not, it prevented certain coworker of theirs from doing the same – and in the case of that particular knight, Gino wanted him to be _nowhere_ within a mile of Suzaku, only sadly circumstances often dictated otherwise. Yes, it was certainly something to be grateful of – although he was also trying very hard not to remind himself that had he not been trapped in this conversation, he wouldn't have needed to rely on these opportunistic little things called 'help' from his friends.

"…this specific issue, I am sure that Lord Weinberg would agree."

Gino delivered his agreement most enthusiastically despite being completely unaware of the topic and kept one ear alert on the proceeding of the conversation in case his name was mentioned again. The rest of his attention, however, was wholeheartedly focused on the dance floor where many pairs strived to appear the most proficient in this department. Even with Monica to guide his steps, it was soon evident that Suzaku did not belong to this particular group. Gino still remembered the nights they had spent tripping over each other's feet, and his hopeless train of laughter once he had discovered that the very pilot who could make Lancelot dance in the battlefield was a lost cause when it came to the actual skill itself.

It was the music which eventually saved him from his predicament. As it swelled to its glorious end, the prince finally shifted his attention to a young lady whose father had been relentlessly hovering around him, and asked her hand for the next dance. Gino practically ran before any noble father could rope him into a similar situation and made his way through the dispersing crowd. He found, not to his surprise but certainly to his displeasure, that his lover was once again being thoroughly kissed by someone who was not him.

Monica, as he had known from experience, was slow and thorough when it came to the execution of her kisses, which probably explained why Suzaku looked a little flustered after she was done. The culprit herself appeared to be in the perfect possession of her wits and inclined her head slightly, a cordial smile on her lips as her only acknowledgment to his arrival. Gino returned it with a tight smile, but immediately put any possible irritation out of his mind for a more pressing matter – the fact that his lover was stiffly walking away.

"Suzaku!"

"What?" the other knight snapped, his face red with frustration and embarrassment. "You want a courtesy kiss as well?"

Gino looked up and noted that they were indeed standing under another of those green wretched things – only this time it didn't look all that wretched, curiously. A grin crept into his expression.

"Well, don't I get one?"

The last word had scarcely left his mouth when something ugly twisted Suzaku's expression. The next thing he knew, his lover had stormed away toward the entrance of the room. "Suzaku, wait!"

"I'm sorry," he said quickly once he had secured Suzaku's wrist in his grip, carefully preventing him from walking off for the third time. "Something I said offended you and yes, I don't know which of them it was, but I really apologise. Please."

His apology seemed to serve its purpose. Suzaku glanced around uncomfortably, aware of the attention their little scene had attracted from the other guests, but only made a negligible effort to pull his hand back. "I was just…" he muttered, face once more reddening, "I was just kissed by who knows how many people, and yet you don't feel…"

Suzaku paused, eyes furiously avoiding him, and Gino raised an eyebrow. "Feel what?" _Jealous?_ He was certainly jealous to bear witness to such… indecency but he wasn't sure if the other knight was arrogant enough to ask that of him. It didn't sound like Suzaku at all.

"…disgusted."

"Disgusted?" Gino frowned. "I don't understand, why would I–?"

And then, of course it all made sense to him. He stared and stared, only half aware of the slow, wide grin which started to grow on his face as a feeling of giddiness swept over him. "You're upset because of that? Because you thought I would feel disgusted?"

The disgruntled but embarrassed look on his lover's face was enough of an answer. Gino, in a fit of overwhelming affection, threw his arms around the older knight and held him tightly, despite many vehement protests the action caused.

"I'm not letting you go," he said, promised, vowed. "Ever. _Ever._"

The remonstrations died down after a moment, although Suzaku remained tense in the circle of his arms. Gino was conscious of the stares they were inevitably drawing – and could not help but feel a little complacent, after all the things he had been forced to witness earlier. And why not? They were standing under another mistletoe anyway, he observed, not without a degree of exasperation.

"…to that."

The muted, barely audible mumble coming from his chest made him look down. "What?"

"I'll hold you to that," Suzaku repeated, green eyes holding his gaze, and the fierce look in them made Gino shiver slightly. He grinned, excitement only rising on the face of challenge.

"Of course, my dear," he said, solemn but also smiling so wide that the muscles in his cheeks were starting to hurt. "Feel free to chase me to the end of the earth and tear my limbs off one by one if I dare to break this oath."

Suzaku only regarded him for a moment, and then said, his voice surprisingly calm, "I doubt there will be any need for that."

"Because you have absolute faith in me?"

"Because you won't even make it to the door."

Gino laughed and kissed him lightly on the lips. "Understood, love."

**_End_**

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Merry Christmas, everyone!


End file.
